Return to Mu
by Jenny DeVic
Summary: After a terrible encounter with Poseidon, Mu is left demoralized from the ordeal. Shaka's attempts to help his friend result in a quirky journey to find the lost continent of Mu.
1. Prologue

**Return to Mu**

**By Jenny DeVic**

**Originally written for SESA 2012**

**PROLOGUE **

A young woman and her son slowly approached the outside of a small house. The woman turned to the tree that had collapsed on top of the roof before her eyes gazed to the aluminum siding. All of it up to the black wavering line was covered in sewer filth and sand giving her a sick feeling. She looked down to her son and gave one last prayer to God that everything won't be _so bad_ inside, and unlocked the door. She gave it a light push as usual, with the hinge being a bit sticky, but this time, it almost felt like something was blockading it. She pushed as hard as she could, and with every bit the door gave, revealed a sloppy combination of mud and sand.

Halfway through, the woman stopped, exhausted by the amount of effort. She hears her child's cry before looking up to see the horrific scene in front of them. All of their items that were kept high on their shelves were all mixed into the brown sludge with white film left by the salt water. The stench of unlucky fish rotting inside the screen of their recently purchased tv. It was all too much. She rushed back outside, away from it derelict and threw her hands on her face.

The boy watched as heaved hard into them, just like the day when Daddy left for his Stepmother. "Mommy! Please don't cry!"He begged, his eyes becoming twice as wet as hers.

She gritted so hard that her teeth grinded painfully against each other until a sweet melody of a flute filled the air causing the tension to ease inside of her troubled soul. A large gentle hand touched her shoulder.

"Don't be so sad. This is a very difficult time, and you must be strong for your child's sake."

The woman turned around to spot a handsome man with long aqua locks, and a light blue business suit. The blues in his eyes seemed as if they were illuminating like a set of stars, as if he was an angel or some other higher being. She swallowed hard. "It's hard when the flood took everything. I don't even know how I will be able to afford all of this. The Sewing Plant that I work at is gone too," she muttered bitterly. She hated working there, but at least it kept her son fed.

She turned her attention toward a violet haired teen, leaning against a snapped oak tree, playing a golden flute. She had always had a terrible habit of crying endlessly for hours over an electric bill, but now, she felt so calm, listening to the lovely melody. She turned to her son and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry for snapping, but thank you for your concern."

The man shook his head. "Don't apologize. Throughout my walk here, your words are shared by thousands, and that is why I am here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Go farther down the road and you will see a large campsite. They will provide food, water and temporary shelter, and a form for you to fill out to allow us to rebuild your house and provide a modest compensation for your lost items."

She took the card and couldn't believe the name upon it. "Julian Solo?" She thought he was just another government agent, but instead, she was speaking with the world's richest bachelor. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She gasped as she clutched the card tightly.

Julian gave an easy nod, quietly walking down the path broken road, to the next victim who had the fortune of encountering him with Sorrento pulling away from the tree and walking beside him, playing his song. Julian paused and turned his head. "Oh, don't worry about your work. I bought the remains and will have it reconstructed in a month, with improvements. Nothing stains a man's reputation than owning a place that treats its employees like a sweatshop." He watched her smile without the need of Sorrento's song and returned back to his path. He turned his eyes as he felt a familiar cosmos. His eyes wandered over toward the top of a hill where a familiar violet haired beauty and her butler stood.

Sorrento came to his side and the two quickened their pace as Athena stood there, dressed in her long white gown with her silk hair flowing in the wind like she was a dream.

Julian came up to her, feeling his blood warm from the sweet scent of flowers that came naturally from her skin. "Miss- Saori." He spoke as he resisted calling her by the name that Zeus bestowed upon her. "I would never expect you to take a beach stroll in such a dilapidated place. What brings you here?"

She smiled sweetly, "to see you of course. When I heard you wanted to help the world recover from such a terrible flood, I thought I would check to see how you were doing."

"With _only_ your butler?" Julian smirked mischievously.

Athena giggled a bit before she shook her head, "_only _with great friends." She smiled before she clasped her hands and slyly raised an index figure toward the field where three figures, shining like the sun, stood in the flowers far enough to allow their Goddess to move freely without notice but close enough to step in when necessary. She turned to the road. "How did you think the paths to these places were cleared overnight before the government could come in?" She winked.

"I see, my gratitude for your Saints and the woman who commands them," Julian spoke as he took her hand and kissed it with her producing a gentle chuckle.

"I can't believe this. She's letting him kiss her hand!" bemoaned Aiolia as he and his two comrades sat watching and listening to the whole conversation from a distance.

Mu looked down. Defending Poseidon did not sit well with him, but he should think of it more as standing up for Athena's actions. "Are you suggesting we should point a sword to a man going around helping the less fortunate?"

Aiolia shook his head. "Of course not, but think about it. First he tried to _marry_ her, then he _kidnapped_ her when she refused, then attempted to _rape_ her, then tries to make her into _a grand sacrifice_ for the destruction of the world and yet she converses like no other ."

Aldebaran, gazing at the flower he received from a grateful little girl looked up. "She's Athena."

The Saint of Leo sighed. "Okay, yeah she is. But sometimes she just feels a bit too forgiving. Twenty kegs of the best ale in Rodario if either of you can name anyone kinder and more forgiving than…"

"Shun," the two other Saints spoke unanimously.

Aiolia lowered his head. "_Dammit_," he mumbled.

Mu leaned over to Aiolia's ear. "I think its best you hold your tongue. Your attempts to parley have set you back at least a month in wages." The Lemurian smiled as Aldebaran gave a hearty pat on the back to the embarrassed Leo who simply blushed at his failed attempt at arguing. However it was refreshing to hear Aiolia in a tone that was neither brooding nor depressed, but one that reflected the one when he was younger and his brother was still praised for his strength and honor.

In fact, many of the Saints, or at least what was left of them, had been lightening up in an attempt to repair the divisions that Saga had created from his deception. Mu had a feeling that even though Dohko told them that they couldn't retrieve their Goddess during Poseidon's brief assault due to fears of the other God attacking; he wondered if perhaps the Gold Saints unity afterwards was still too fragile to risk in battle. This was especially true after the ruckus on whether or not to bury the other fallen Gold Saints in their great Cemetery. On one hand, they are the highest ranking of all the Saints and by Athena's Law stated all Gold Saints shall be buried with their comrades. However, those that died were the ones that treated Aiolos like a traitor and casted his body dishonorably over a cliff for the jackals to feed upon. To this day, they have yet to recover any of his remains. Even Shion's body was left exposed for several years and just recently, finally was put to rest.

But unlike the Golds, Seiya and his bronze Saints proved that their victory of the Twelve Houses was no fluke. Despite their lower ranked Cloths and cosmos, with nothing but willpower and their unbreakable bonds of friendship, they managed to defeat one of the greatest enemies of Athena. Such companionship was something that they, the Cloths of the highest rank, should inspire to posses but will take time.

Aiolia leaned over and narrowed his eyes. "Sorrento is down there. Do you think that one of us should be there instead of Tatsumi?" he asked as he scratched his chin.

"Nonsense! Tatsumi is perfect! If Julian attempts to kidnap the two of them, we'll just follow the trail of pee left behind him!" retorted Aldebaran before all three Gold Saints busted out laughing.

The two Gods turned their heads at the outburst at the hill, Athena smiling at her Saints finding their sense of humor that had been lost for several years while Julian simply turned to his watch. "It's almost lunch time. Would you care to join me at my campsite? My cooks can create a finer meal than that black bean and cream corn platters that they slop down at those government feeding stations."

Athena nodded, "that sounds lovely. May I permit my Saints to join us?"

Julian thought for a moment. "Well, their efforts last night allowed more emergency vehicles and my Maserati to come closer to ground zero. Sure, I see no harm from it." With whomever the three Saints she chose, acting like laughing baboons, he would simply embarrass himself to show any fear from them. He waited patiently for Athena to invite the trio over. He turned to his cuff links, cursing that he accidently put on last year's model when he noticed that Sorrento seemed a bit more agitated than normal.

"Aiolia, stop worrying, I'll be fine!" Athena spoke as she led her Gold Saint trio over. "Peace and diplomacy cannot happen without the enemy at the table." She loudly whispered, emphasizing the importance of such invitations.

As they came down closer to the wreckage below, Mu turned toward the broken houses all around them. His heart began to beat a little faster as he saw the devastation up close in the sunlight, the horrid stench of rot and sewage starting to pungent his nose after growing used to it from clearing the roads. His eyes shifted toward a set of medics carrying a set of four body bags, as if recovering an entire family, sadly a common sight in their travels with Athena. Mu gasped as Sorrento suddenly appeared in front of him and clutching his flute dangerously close to his lips.

"Athena, you didn't mention that you had a Lemurian in the company of your Saints," Sorrento protested as he narrowed his eyes on them as Poseidon moved next to him, with equal concern.

Now it was time for Aldebaran to lose his temper as the Mariner General raised his weapon to his friend, "do you have a problem with Lemurians?" he growled taking great care not to crush the flower between his fingers.

Poseidon calmly took a strand of his hair and brushed it from his face. "More like, they have always had a problem with me. I did sink their homeland for their traitorous actions."

"The Lemurians remained neutral during the First Holy War. It wasn't until your first vessel attacked our continent first that we sided with Athena," Mu spoke murmuring a line that his Master had passed on to him about the Great Tragedy.

The Prince raised a brow, "neutrality? My Generals received seven Scale Cloths and Athena received twelve, a tremendous disadvantage in such an important war. Lemurians are supposed to be mathematical geniuses and yet you say seven _equals_ twelve?"

Mu felt the unfamiliar sense of anger filling his blood from the insult. His mind told him to let the issue go, apologize and allow Athena to continue with diplomatic peace but his heart could not. "Your hundreds of lower ranked soldiers were given Scales that were as strong as the forty-eight Cloths of Bronze. You were properly compensated with having all of your Army with proper equipment while most of Athena's soldiers went in cured leather and steel if lucky."

"You know as I know that a thousand Bronze-level soldiers still would stand no chance against one Gold Saint or one Mariner Scale," Sorrento spoke as he waved his flute.

"Don't you mean one Mariner Scale doesn't stand against five Bronze leveled children?" smirked Aldebaran.

Sorrento passed a dirty look before Athena stepped in between. "Please, stop this. We're about to have a simple lunch. Let us speak of the good that we are bringing to these places and not of a past that none of us were even alive to remember!" She spoke turning to her Saints, and watching them drop their heads in obedience before turning back to Poseidon.

Poseidon turned his attention to Mu, stepping past Athena in order to deliver one last test of the Lemurian's will power. "Perhaps he does have a lot to be angry at. The Lemurian, high in their intelligence, great in their understanding of how the world function developing concepts that humans of today have just now declared as _theory_. They studied the weather so much, that there were formulas on how to predict storms based on a single gust of wind. Their grand belief is to create things that would last forever including their cities and homes. Yet neither skill was useful when it came to me. There was no wind or rain, the water just- _rose_. Many thought it was a stronger than normal high tide but it just kept- _rising_, never realizing that a whirlpool was forming. By the time it reached their knees, the current suddenly strengthened into those equal to whirlpool, and the indestructible architecture was reduced to nothing. "Poseidon looked Mu straight into the eyes and smiled wickedly. "But that's all in the past,_isn't it?_ Athena is right. Neither this vessel nor you were alive back then. We can put all of this history behind us and share some lovely salads, sandwiches and baklava, yes?"

Sorrento gripped his flute and feeling his body tense up at the sight of the Lemurian, anxious at the slightest of attempt at a punch or a slight hint of telekinesis. His Scale still resided at the bottom of the ocean still repairing itself from Shun's devastating Nebula Storm that left it barely intact. However, if he must kill all three of the Gold Saints with his bare hands, he will do so. He looked up to Julian's confidence, neither bothered by the fact that they were outnumbered, two to four.

Mu felt his mind twisting with every word Poseidon spoke like a sword being shoved up the back of his neck. He turned to Athena, seeing her desires to keep things peaceful. He thought back at what Aiolia said about the many things that Julian had done, and yet now she shields him from his potential anger. Killing Poseidon would only fan the flames for a future Holy War, but the chance to sit and speak diplomatically would prevent it just as it had now, if Kanon hadn't created the false awakening. "You are right, it was long ago. Let's go and eat." He spoke, feeling the spirits of his people weighing in heavily in his soul as if cursing him for allowing himself to kneel, when he should have stood up for them.

**_To Be Continued_**

_**In the Next Chapter: The three Gold Saints return to Sanctuary where Shaka awaits them. Shaka notices Mu is not acting like his usual self and reminisces on old childhood memories of the two to figure out what is going on.**  
_


	2. Part One

**PART ONE **

_**When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.**_

Shaka sat on the top step outside of the Aries Temple. He held his instrument and plucked the strings to an old tune he remembered and practiced in India. Dressed in a pair of old faded jeans and a worn down t-shirt, he felt a bit uncomfortable. His loose robes that graced him every day gave a sense of freedom, unlike his pants that were so tight around his hips and waist while the supposedly stylish ripped knee holes tore bigger and bigger from sitting there.

In a rare turn events, with Mu, Aldebaran and Aiolia gone and Saga and Deathmask now unfortunately deceased, he must come to the front of the Twelve Houses to guard against any signs of Hades Army or to turn away any wandering tourists. He finished his song and bowed his head as a young couple clapped. Shaka reached for his cup and held it out as any starving musician should.

The woman reached into her purse and dropped a Euro inside of it. "What a lovely instrument. Is that a Greek guitar—oh what is it called?"

"A bouzouki, I believe," spoke her husband as he adjusted his sun glasses.

Shaka looked down. "Actually, this is a sitar, from India, my homeland." He spoke as he held it out.

The woman nodded. "Well, can you play a bouzouki? I think it would be nice to hear. It's _Greece_, and we are here to listen to _Greek_ things."

"Dear, he's Indian not Greek, he probably doesn't have a clue how to play a bouzouki!" spoke her husband.

Shaka looked down. "I have ten fingers, and I am capable of playing any instrument including a bouzouki. The question you should ask is: can I carry a tune?" He spoke correcting them watching the two amused by him correcting such a vague question. He pointed down the stairs. "If you go back down to Rodario there is an agency who can probably set you up with a tour of one village filled with people who specialize in crafting instruments, like bouzoukis. I'm sure you'll meet someone there who would be able to grant a demonstration."

The man smiled. "Why thank you, we'll be sure to keep that in mind." He turned to his wife, "well dear, are you ready to visit the top of here?"

Shaka turned to them. "I'm _afraid_ you cannot go in."

"Well why not? You're not in charge! We obviously don't look like looters. What is there to worry about," spoke the woman.

Shaka closed his eyes and held a hand out. "There is a hole inside. You _may_ trip and fall."

The woman frowned a bit. "That's impossible. I saw a soldier come through there." She spoke as she opened the door and screamed.

The husband came behind her and gasped at the large hole with a forty foot diameter that was in the center of the House of Aries. "Oh my God!" he cried, his voice echoing and emphasizing the depths that it went. He carefully grabbed his wife, fearful that she would tumble after. "Thank you again. Come on, honey, let's go."

"But," she muttered, "saw a guard, come through that door. There can't be a…"

"Dear, you're too young for me to worry about your blood pressure now."

Shaka watched to two walk down the stairs. He turned to his hand, gazing at the dark hole that was invisible to any other set of eyes but his own. "The depth of the hole is equivalent to that of the bad karma related to her stubborn nature. I pity her husband," he thought. Once they were far away, he closed his hand, ending the Buddha's Palm illusion.

He reached for his sitar and examined the strings to ensure they were still in good shape before he heard another set of footsteps, heavier than any common European tourist or equal to that of any American.

Aldebaran poked his head around the corner carrying his Cloth box, "Shaka, what the hell did you do to those two people?"

Shaka rested his hands on the sitar, "a harmless illusion to discourage any intrusion into Sanctuary. I did not anticipate or desire such extreme fear, but they will overcome it with time." He turned his head and widened his eyes indiscreetly as Mu, seemed to drag himself up behind Aiolia. The Indian turned to the other Saints who seemed happy and content while the Lemurian appeared as if the life was sapped from him. Such conflicting emotions were more than enough to raise a discreet call for concern. "Did everything go well with your trip?"

Aiolia placed his sweaty hands on the sides of his hips. "For the most part; Athena came and returned safe and sound, we were able to open up the paths to allow for emergency vehicles to move into the more dangerous areas."

"It would have gone perfect if Poseidon wasn't such an ass to Mu," grunted Aldebaran.

"No kidding," agreed Aiolia. "He kept talking about _leaving the past behind_ when hekept bringing it up," he spoke, still pissed off about the whole ordeal.

But Mu looked up, "my friends, there is no need to hold such, bitter feelings. The moment has passed, and our mission was successful. Let us, rest and allow the memories to be swept away by sweet dreams upon our pillows, and perhaps later on, a round of our promised finest." He smiled, trying to act his normal self.

Aldebaran and Aiolia turned to each, quietly deciding between each other on what to do before Aldebaran stepped up pointing with the flower still in hand. "Tomorrow at ten o'clock at the Three Women and an Eyeball Pub, or your drink is mine."

Mu simply smiled. "Well as you always say, don't make a bet that you are incapable of winning." He turned his head, "isn't that right, Aiolia."

The Leo Saint folded his arms, his cheeks grew red. "Oh come on, what are the chances of someone guessing the only person that is more forgiving than Athena?"

"Shun?" quipped Shaka curiously?"

Aiolia rolled his eyes before Aldebaran came up and wrapped his arm around him. "You're better be happy that Shaka doesn't drink, or else you will never afford anything every again," Aldebaran laughed. "Your reaction back then and now will be with me as I am_ swept away by such sweet dreams on my pillow_."

Aiolia frowned. "And if you don't stop bragging about it, I will come to you later on and make sure your pillow not only sweeps you of your sweet dreams but your life as well."

Aldebaran laughed even harder as the two left for the stairs.

Shaka stood there, waiting for the other two to create enough distance between them. Aiolia and Aldebaran had good hearts, but he knew that based on Mu's emotions and reactions, that whatever was wrong with him needed a softer approach. He stood up from his spot, rubbing his sore muscles. He was quite used to staying in one spot for days at a time, but to maximize his disguise, he kept his head slouched, his hair unwashed and a can of some stomach dissolving energy drink nearby. "Thank you for allowing me to use your sitar. I made sure to keep it clean and well kept."

Mu reached over for the instrument. "You're welcome," he looked at it for a moment. "You are free to keep it. It seems you have a gift at playing it, judging by the gratitude that filled your cup," he spoke as he pointed toward several bills of different denominations over filling the top.

Shaka shook his head. "No thank you, I have no need for it."

Mu looked down at it. "Are you sure? I made it for you. I even made adjustments to the strings so that you may pluck them for many hours without feeling sore, but still ensuring that each one maintained their tune."

In the Buddhist religion, materialism is looked down upon. A Buddhist may appreciate an item and respect the work involved to create it, but to keep it was another issue altogether. However the Lemurian culture embraced materialism like no other, always creating what needed or was not needed in the world. It was the one philosophy that he never agreed with in the Lemurian culture. "Your sitar is very beautiful and your skills in crafting it in an hour before leaving for your mission are quite impressive." He watched Mu's face grow sad. Shaka sighed trying to think of something that wouldn't be so blunt. "I will think about it, but in the mean time, place it in one of your displays that way it may be appreciated by other visitors."

Mu took the instrument. His face filled with understanding over Shaka's position and desired not intrude on such wishes, he smiled and carried it over to his common area.

Shaka reached down for the money cup and poured it into a pouch to be later donated for charity. He then followed Mu through the hidden door. Unlike the virtually empty hallway reserved for passerbyers heading in and out of Sanctuary, the common area had a more homely feel. It was a place designed for the Guardian of each Temple to invite guests and spend time without having to climb several hundred steps to reach their living quarters deep below where they and their servants are protected by devastating attacks. Each common area was tailored for each one of them, with his being the Twin Sala's Garden and Mu's following his Lemurian heritage. Shion described to him that the typical respectable Lemurian home to resemble those of a hoarder, but Mu adjusted it to have all his items on shelves to at least make the seats more inviting.

Mu waited for Shaka to take a seat. "Would you like some tea? I picked up some loose leaf from one of the countries we visited."

"Sounds lovely," spoke Shaka. He watched as Mu came over to the table and grabbed a small capsule for the ingredients.

Mu smiled again. "I thought you would. You used to come here all the time for it."

"Yes, I did. I remember it when I was four years old."

"And I remembered it when I was five," retorted Mu.

**YEARS AGO**

_It was one of the coldest days of the year. The ice was so thick that little Shaka had to walk on top with three feet of snow beneath him while carrying a several bags behind. The child rubbed his feet. Even with the wraps around them and his sandals, he wondered if his toes were already blue and frostbitten. His teeth chattered as he attempted to use his cosmos to warm himself up. Unfortunately, he had done so earlier to melt the snow, and now his wet robes were making things more miserable. He had just arrived from India and already he missed the year round warm weather. _

"_Hey! What are you doing? It's cold out here," cried a voice._

_Shaka looked up and saw a boy with light violet hair. He had seen him when Shion was taking him over toward his Temple, but seemed too busy to at the time. "Oh, nothing much, I was getting-fo-fo-"he took his wrap and brought around him tighter, too cold to finish his sentence, "-some food." He then fell to his knees, as the constant shivering was wearing him out. The boy came closer and helped him up, wrapping a purple cloak over him. To Shaka's surprise, the moment it wrapped around his shoulders, the harsh winter felt almost like spring as if the 10° C weather didn't exist. _

"_You're crazy, you shouldn't be out there. Go fetch one of your servants. Most love fetching tasks because they are free of their normal duties for the rest of the day and can see their families before they return. You should just ask one of them on the way to pick you up things to eat. That's what I did." Five year old Mu spoke as he patted the Buddhist back. "Are you Shaka?" He asked as he guided him to his common area. He watched him shyly nodded. "That's what I thought. My Master told me about you. My name is Mu. How are you enjoying Sanctuary?" he asked._

"_Nice to meet you, Mu." Shaka smiled politely feeling the warmth of the room seep into his cold body, "I think Sanctuary is nice, but a bit—'violent'." He shifted his eyes downwards, remembering the brutal greeting that occurred with his meeting before the Pope. He was thrown into the center of a dusty circle where four soldiers ambushed him and brutally kicked him around until he was covered with bruises, cuts and scrapes. Their taunts of calling him a 'pacifistic bitch' for not attempting to strike back somehow left its mark in his mind as well._

_Mu knew exactly what he was talking about. "My Master doesn't like it either, comparing it more to prison initiation, but Athena deems it important that way Saints know what to expect in Sainthood before committing the rest of their lives to it." He turned to the door where a fancy Lemurian barometer. "A warm front should be moving in about an hour, raising the temperature by about twenty degrees. Would you like some Ceylon tea to pass the time until safe travel back to your Temple?"_

_Shaka hadn't had __it__ in a while, especially since most of the places served only beer and whiskey. "That sounds nice." He watched Mu give a pleasant nod. He expected Mu to come with a tea kettle but instead a strange fanciful glass with strange contraptions. "What is that?" _

_Mu placed it on the table. "Ah, this is a Lemurian Tea Steeper." He waved his hands in great delight. "The tea is placed into the small square cup inside the glass much like a regular steeper. However, the wire that is attached to this specially weighted ball out here rests on a spinning fulcrum." He poured some water carefully into the bottle. "With a simple push, the ball will spin exactly 332 times. The momentum will cause the water to circulate, heating it to the perfect temperature, adding the right amount of air, and flavor."_

_Shaka raised a brow. He's always just thrown a tea kettle over a fire while this device looked more like a combination of a beaker and a cuckoo clock. "Wha?" the child muttered._

_Mu simple tapped the ball, causing it to spin. "Trust me, it makes good tea," he winked. _

_Shaka sat there, mesmerized by the way it effortlessly spun, as the tea box dyed the water, swirling and mixing the color like ribbons in the sky. He could almost watch the device all day and was saddened when ball, as Mu stated, stilled at the 332th spin, at least until he tasted it. "Oh!" he gasped. Just as Mu described, the water was hot but not burning, the flavor profound but not too strong. It was indeed, perfect tea. To drink tea was to take time to reflect the day and contemplate one's thoughts. Instead, his cup was empty long before his mind could stop pondering how delicious it was. _

_Mu, quite used to but still delighted by all those who have a cup from his Tea Steeper, smiled, "I'm glad you like you. Honey in your tea?"_

"_No thank you."Shaka smiled as Mu leaned over to pour more into his cup when his long lavender bangs parted revealing two dots in place of his eyebrows. "You're not Greek?" he spoke._

"_I'm not even human," retorted Mu as he opened a box full of bees produced a strange whistle before the insects all flew around his cup, and began to vomit fresh honey into his own tea. He smiled at his bees. "By the way, these are Crixus, Varro, and Ashur. They were mighty jealous of your garden and said If you allow them access to your wonderful flowers, they will gladly create honey without the mess of having to deal with wax from honeycombs." _

_Shaka was a bit startled. He was enjoying Mu's company so much that he didn't notice the dots. Besides, aside from the Pope, Mu was the only one who seemed genuinely kind to him. The others back in India warned him that his clothes may draw unnecessary attention in Greece, but here there was outright hatred. "How do you do it?"_

"_Ah, an excellent question!" Mu looked down. "First one must sing to the bees to be allowed to come close to the hive. Hives have no doorbells or door knockers so it is important to create a first impression. It is there, you must perform a dance to swoon the queen; I personally recommend the flamenco. Once she is taken aback by your dance, the drones will become jealous, even angered that they lack a stinger and are cursed with useless mating appendages. That is when you barter with them to allow one to adopt-"_

"_Oh that's not what I was talking about. Aren't people mean to you for being… different?" asked Shaka shyly. "I know that to be enveloped in one's looks goes against Buddhism, but it still makes me sad," he spoke holding his knees. "Sometimes I wonder if I should just wear a trainer all day, instead of my robes here. Nobody ever makes fun of me when I wear that."_

_Mu produced another whistle to send his cluster of bees back into the box. "When I first came here, I was- not well received. I knew I could easily put a headband on and hide my facial markings, but as my Master puts it, what type of impression of my people will I leave since I am the first of my kind they will encounter? Do I show pride in our culture, or shame that I exist?" He shook his head. "I think my ancestors will wish me to produce a more positive impression to all those who come, even if their first thoughts are wrong and hateful." He came over and sat beside him. "I myself have never seen a Buddhist before. Other than your robes, would you like to tell me more about your culture?"_

_Shaka take a deep sip of the delicious tea. It seemed like an easy question, but difficult at the same time because it was a very large subject. Even talking about karma could take all day. "We believe in doing good things. We don't kill, even if the life is as tiny as an insect, we don't believe in lying, stealing, or over indulging."_

"_It sounds like a very pleasant culture," spoke Mu. "The Lemurians also belie__ve__ in avoiding killing others since it is terribly impolite and would ruin the victim's day. More tea?" asked Mu as Shaka had finished another cup. _

**PRESENT TIME**

Mu pulled out the Lemurian Tea Steeper. The glass had discolored from persistent use between the two, but it still created the magnificent flavor. "I still don't understand why you were out in that storm gathering vegetables at night of all times."

Shaka lowered eyes. "I needed food, but I also didn't want others to make fun of me in my _funny_ robes." Had he not encountered Mu, he would've been a much different man today. Being sheltered in the Temples of India did not prepare him for the reactions of outsiders toward his clothes and ways. But Mu gave him the strength to be himself. He took a slow sip, still enjoying the taste. "I'm glad such childish notions have been left behind. Frankly, I can't wait to change back into them and out of these clothes." He lightly chuckled reaching at the garter of his jeans that were so tight that they left red rashes at his hips. He expected some Lemurian retort about the embarrassment of choosing hypothermia over practicality, but instead he noticed Mu quietly just staring at some shelves. "Mu?"

"Huh?" Mu blinked nearly spilling a bit of his tea in his hand.

Now Shaka definitely knew something was wrong. Lemurians were extremely attentive to conversation whether one knew it or not. Yet he still could not figure out what was bothering him. It almost seemed that Mu seemed interested in the past and yet related to the trip with Athena. Perhaps he should engage him more into it, and see if that could coax him into saying something. He noticed that Mu's eyes were drawn to one particular shelf filled with many of their treasures. He casually walked next to his side and looked up to them as well. "I can't believe we carried that thing from the beach to Sanctuary. My Temple weighed far less than that. At least we didn't get in trouble by His Holiness."

Mu shook his head. "I would have never brought you if there was a chance to damage your reputation. I know my Master too well."

**YEARS AGO**

_At the front of the House of Aries, an elder Lemurian faced the sun, feeling the warm rays mimic the rising heat of his anger. He reached for his mask and vented a little air from the bottom. He had noticed that Mu seemed a little more distracted than normal, especially in his studies. It was true that there were worse students, with Milo having the audacity to attempt to cheat on his ABC's, but Mu was different. Mu was nearly the last of their kind, and the only one who would be able to repair Cloths in the next Holy War, and truth be told, he wasn't sure how long the gift of an extended life by Athena will last._

_Suddenly, the door swung open as Six year old Camus walked backwards with his arms crossed over his face with Milo punching him wildly. Five year old Milo laughed manically as he suddenly jerked his head toward the Pope. "Hey, Your Holiness. Don't mind us, we're just sparring!" Milo gave a devilish grin as he continued to punch his friend. _

_Camus, rolled his eyes._ "_Oh-my-goddess. Milo-you-are-so-strong-you-managed-to-repel-me-from-your-temple-to-here_," _he half heartedly spoke._

_Shion raised a suspicious eyebrow, sensing that Camus had been forced into one of Milo's __schemes__. "Milo? You managed to counter Camus, someone who clearly has twice the amounts of wins as you all the way here to the front of the House of Aries?" _

"_That's right! Aren't I awesome!" shouted Milo as he continued to box with ease._

"_Oh-the-humanity. I-may-never-be-able-to-beat-Milo-ever-again. I-walk-a-path-of-utter-doom._" _The future Aquarius muttered as he continued to move his forearms in the path of Milo's punches. _

"_You haven't seen anything yet. I bet I can defeat you without any hands!" spoke Milo._

_Shion felt a bit amused. "Can you Milo? That's very hard."_

"_Just watch me!" Milo folded his arms, raised his leg and began to fence with his foot._

_Camus groaned as Milo struggled to stay balance while he attempted to make their fight legit. "Come on Milo, use your arms! You never change your socks and your feet smell like year old cat litter." Camus whispered harshly only for Milo to pull off his boot._

"_Stinky toes, stinky toes, around your face and up your nose!" Milo sang as bits of sock lint fluff flew to each side. _

_Camus finally grabbed the foot. "Milo, if you don't stop, you can forget about getting a front seat of Mu's punishment when he returns." The boy whispered, narrowing his eyes before tossing the foot down to the ground._

"_Okay fine!" Milo shrugged as he picked up his boot and put it back on. Even though it was funny, he'd hate to miss out on Shion chewing Mu out. "I hope you enjoyed regaining a little more pride from easy mode. Now back to KICK YOUR ASS!" Milo pointed at him. Camus flashed a dirty look. "Uh, with my hands of course!" Camus gave him a pleased nod before Milo began to continue to fake spar with Camus in a spot that would assure that he will be able to watch the whole thing unravel. His eyes glimmered in delight as he saw the top half of familiar violet locks ascending from the stairs. _

_Shion turned his head and folded his arms. "Mu, Shaka, where have you two been?" He gasped when the two of them were drenched from the waist down, their hands covered in scratches and mud. His green eyes than turned toward a floating object in between the two. "What is that?"_

"_Oh no, he sounds angry," muttered Shaka as he struggled to focus on the taxing effort of carrying the object._

"_Don't worry, just let me do the talking," Mu spoke as he felt sweat drip from using his telekinesis to keep the object steady. He pointed over to a spot, and the two of them graciously lowered the large blanket covered object to the ground. He trembled a bit, having never really heard his Master act so stern before. "We went," Mu turned toward his friend not wishing to risk him getting in trouble, "I mean, I asked Shaka if he could come with me to the coast."_

_Immediately, Shion figured it out. "Mu, you can't put off your studies to go treasure hunting! By the Goddess, you're six years old and you're still studying tetraquarks. Yuzariha mastered pentaquarks when she was four years old and wasn't even an apprentice in blacksmithing."_

"_Tetra-what? What is that!" gasped Milo._

_Camus shifted his eyes. Explaining what Tetraquarks were may cause Milo's brain to numb. While the thought made his blood warm, he decided to give an answer that would not cause his cranium to jellify. "Just the basics of Lemurian education. We have our ABC's and numbers; they have the Table of Elements and Particle Physics." _

_Mu felt sheepish. He already felt terrible from when he caused his teacher to go on a drinking binge for mixing Gallium with Germanium on his last test, and now that he was over three hours late, he wondered if his Master felt like a failure. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Shaka as he gave him an affirming nod to just simply tell him the truth. Mu felt his courage build up and started off with an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, Master. I know I haven't done very well lately, but I would have never gone out if it wasn't important." _

_He reached over toward the blanket and pulled it off revealing a large black stone that resembled a mine, except each of its prongs were made of some sort of clear material. Mu smiled as his Master's stern appearance evaporated into nothing. Mu stepped aside as Shion ran his hands over it, dropping to his knees and ignored getting his fine Pope robes dirty. "I saw it yesterday night but I couldn't get it here by myself. I had to ask Shaka for his cosmos to help lift it and bring here before today's high tide would wash it away. Please don't be mad."_

"_It's… a Crater-case! This is incredible!" Shion muttered in amazement. For several weeks, Mu had brought nothing but trash and junk left behind by careless tourists. But today was the equivalent of the Lemurian bringing back a living Dodo bird. _

_Milo, a bit disappointed that there wasn't going to be a royal chewing ou__t,__ was a bit confused. "What's a Crater Case?" He __whispered__ to Camus. _

_Camus, shrugged, equally clueless. "What is a Crater-Case, Your Holiness?" _

_Shion quickly gestured for the boys to come closer. "A crater-case is a suitcase used to transport precious items. Most humans like to use cloth or leather to store things not realizing that such pitiful material break__down__ and disintegrat__e__ over time. However, we Lemurians believe that it should made to last! As my Master and his Master have said about luggage, if it can't roll on the surface of the sun-" _

"_-it's not worth crafting!" Mu proudly finished as Shion lovingly patted his head. "Master, you must open it! You said there will be things from the continent of Mu!" the boy pleaded wishing to show Shaka more items from his long forgotten lands._

_Shaka shyly smiled and sat next to the others. Materialism was looked down upon in the practices of Buddhism, but after spending several miles listening to Mu talking about the possibilities, he too was curious about what will come about in the fruits of their labor. Shion eagerly pulled a stick of concentrated stardust and drew runes on a smooth part of the __surface__ causing the giant rock to split in half like a cracked walnut._

_The children poked their heads __trying to get the first glimpse__ at the strange objects inside. _

_Mu immediately picked up a long rod that was the size of a knife with a half cylinder at the top. "Master, is this?"_

_Shion nodded, "Indeed, a meat twirler! Humans don't realize how crude steak tastes when you cut the fibers of the flesh of the animal in sections, never imagining that with great patience, it can be twirled like spaghetti and allowing an even distribution between the marble of fat and the flesh of the beast." _

_Shaka raised an eyebrow. "But Your Holiness, aren't Lemurians vegetarians and respect their animal brethren?" _

_Mu reached over to Shaka, "we do, but the animals, well they-they," Mu wasn't sure if he had the courage to say it. "They embraced atheism!" _

"_Animals, are atheists, what?!" gasped Milo. _

_Shion lowered his head. "It is true. For you see, on the continent of Mu, all the animals embraced a religion where the belief was that to be cooked, was to be purified of their sins of leaving droppings all over the place. When they felt death was close, they would bid their loved ones farewell and they would go on a pilgrimage to our slaughterhouses. It is there that __the__ sacred butcher, would tell these creatures__:__ Blessed thou beast, may my seasonings bring about your flavorful sins, may the vinegar baptize your body, and the fires of my stone grill purify them away and allow the succulent smoke of your soul rise to heaven!" _

_Mu lowered his head. "But then when the continent sank, and the animals were taken to the human world, they were never honored and so, feeling their religion being disrespected, they turned to atheism and now animals run away when they know they are being hunted. They refused to be eaten, so we try to respect their decision."_

"_But, there is hope," spoke Shion as he raised the meat twirler. "We've had reports that some animals have regretted living a life without faith and so they come to us and say they wish to see the light again. Even though the numbers of atheistic animals is inconceivable high, a small but growing number wish to be born again and we will aid them, one meal at a time." He spoke as he placed the meat twirler down._

"_Did he make that up?" whispered Milo._

"_Probably not, that was actually the most normal food story I've ever heard from him," Camus replied._

_Shion felt shivers down his back when he reached for a bottle containing a light greenish powder. "I can't believe this. I thought this was lost forever!" _

_Mu read the formula, "__14__H__2__O__3Ω__! Master, is this the legendary undrownable water from the great Wak Ka-TiDus?"_

"_Undrownable water? Why would you invent undrownable water?" asked Milo. _

_Mu placed his hands on his hips. "__N__obody likes to drown, that's why we invented a way to prevent it."_

_Shion nodded his head. "Yes, drowning is indeed embarrassing and quite fatal, besides," he reached into the Crater-Case. "We can't play Blitzball without it! I'm sure you children will enjoy it. It is like soccer but underwater."_

"_That's physically impossible. How are we supposed to kick a ball underwater?" Camus spoke with great skepticism. _

"_That's why we invented the Blitzball!" Mu pulled out what looked like a large bumpy volleyball. "We have calibrated it so that it defies underwater physics that way it plays just like soccer on land."_

"_You broke Newton's Second Law?" Camus muttered dryly._

_But Shion waved his finger. "Not quite, we just found a loophole."_

Camus threw his hands in the air, going with the foreign notion of '_just going with it'_.

_Shaka peaked inside seeing if there were any other things in there, especially if it was related to creating fanciful tea when something caught his eyes. "These look cute. What are they?" He asked as he held them. They looked like shoes, but they are long and thin."_

_Mu nodded, taking a brief look at Milo the unimpressed. "These are sea turtle shoes. They are made this way to fit their fins and adjust with age!" _

_Milo looked up. "Why would sea turtles need shoes?"_

_Mu gasped feeling a bit tired by Milo's lack of common sense, "because they have flat feet."_

_Shaka took a step forward as he sensed a foreign anger that he didn't think Lemurians were capable of. He quietly raised his hands and gently waved them down to signal to his friend that he needed to calm down. _

_Shion felt it too. "Milo, the Lemurian culture, cares deeply about our elderly whether it be Lemurian, nymph, human or beast. With sea turtles living for hundreds of years, you __certainly__ can't get any older than that." He spoke as he pulled out a large black remote from the rock._

_Milo nodded. "Yeah, the elderly are important. But I bet if they are over two hundred years you would have to invent other stuff like giant adult diapers and a scooter since they can't walk over two miles an hour." Milo looked around. "Did the sky get really dark?" He asked as clouds and thunder started to gather quickly over them._

_Shion's eyes glowed red as he was grasping the device. "We should get back to training, there is much to do," he growled as he shifted toward Camus. "Camus, why don't you show me you are not doomed to utter failure and spar with Milo back to the House of Aquarius."_

_Camus shifted his eyes toward the cowering Scorpio, remembering the embarrassment he had to endure including a bout with Milo's stinky feet. "Of course, Your Holiness." He said as Milo attempted to fight but Camus kept intercepting his blocks and punching him in the gut while Shion began to follow behind as the ominous clouds followed. He stopped at the top, turned his head and pressed a large red button. With a single beep, caused the clouds to separate and clear the skies, thus saving power in the Emergency Rain Summoner in his hand. _

**PRESENT**

Shaka looked up at the vast array of items that they found that day. "I'm glad we didn't get in trouble and Milo paid for trying to feed on the bad karma of our actions."

Mu nodded as he stared at the treasures from the deep. "The things I make today compare nothing to what my people in the past did. Mine are just overcomplicated inventions," he reached over and grabbed the Emergency Rain Summoner, clicked the top button and produced a small rain cloud over a yellow fern, "but the things from Mu itself, those are creations that people would only _think_ exist in dreams." He pressed the button once more and turned it off. "Now, they _only_ exist in dreams, _thanks to Poseidon_."

"Poseidon?" muttered Shaka as things finally came together. The God of the Sea and the one who drowned nearly every denizen of the continent of Mu must have triggered something with his Lemurian friend. Considering the extreme loathing that Poseidon possessed after the devastating defeat from the Bronze Saints, it would come to no surprise that Poseidon spat bitterness at those he hated so much.

But there was something familiar about Mu's mood as well. His quiet nature, his eyes seemingly exhausted. Shaka turned to his side to find Mu had left him. The door to his inner quarters was left open, the candles all lit up along the way down to the stairs below. Shaka followed them, stumbling a bit over an old uneven step. He spotted a light illuminating through the crack of a heavy door that led to Mu's workshop.

Shaka closed the door. He rarely came down into the workshop due to the dangers inside. He reached for a Dixie cup, filling it with a special orange lemonade-tasting Lemurian mix that was created to prevent humans from getting radiation poisoning from the portable reactor that he kept to keep his tools from dulling. The place was even more cluster phobic with thousands of different types of metals and ores piled carefully on top of each other, and organized by smell.

There in the corner was what appeared to be a large boat with a giant fish fin on the back with different runes carved on the side. Mu stared at it, stroking each rune, carefully carved out by hands far more skilled than his. Next to it was a familiar chair, covered in dust as if too sacred to be touched.

**YEARS AGO**

_Shaka took a breath of relief, pleased that the Pope had found karma, greater in sin than the one they committed. He had no pity for Milo; he had no business being there. Shaka expected Mu to yell out how thrilled he was over how things turned out, but instead was left with dead silence. "Mu?" He gazed at Mu's face as he sat in front of the rock. _

_The Lemurian took a moment to look around to ensure they were truly alone. "Shaka, do you think that I'm weird?" his voic__e__ cracked, as if trying to keep himself from crying__.__ "If Master Shion wasn't there, I don't think he would have held back. Everyone but Master, probably thought all of this is junk." He sat in front of the __Crater-Case__ and stared at the other stuff. Who wouldn't enjoy an Ear-Tuner that was capable of filtering out voices based on their level of annoyance? What about a Loaf Shaver that carefully removed the crust of bread and allowing perfect access to soft inside texture. Then there was the pair of specially designed underwear that would filter the sound of a grotesque fart and replaced it with the pleasant audio of birds chirping. He was sure his Master had a pair of his own. _

_Shaka immediately shook his head no and came to his side. "The heart of Buddhism is to appreciate that there are different religions and cultures, much like the joy of having a variety of food to choose from and that different people, need different religions and cultures to fit their different needs. You should think of that. Besides Milo is just too," he paused to avoid calling him an idiot, "simple minded. He still sneaks out to that one daycare because they have DVDs of the Wonder Pets. Don't let someone like that make you feel bad." He walked over toward the Crater-__C__ase. "Besides, they aren't junk. I kind of like the stories behind them. We should probably take these treasures inside the House of Aries. For items that are so old, I don't think being exposed in the sun would be good for them." _

_Mu brightened up. "Oh, they will be fine. We Lemurians strongly believe in creating items that will last for centuries regardless of the conditions. But," he looked down, smiling as widely as he did when he first found them. "I would like to display them. That way, anytime people see them, I can tell them all about our culture. Even if they don't like it, at least the memory my people will live on in some way." _

_The two children, using a combination of their cosmos and telekinesis, carried it. Mu reached for the large door handle and pulled the door open, shocked to see Master Shion sitting on a stone bench._

"_Master! What are you doing here? I thought you were watching Milo and Camus' sparring?" asked Mu as he bowed immediately with Shaka following._

"_I did watch them." The elder Lemurian, spoke as he used the Emergency Rain Summoner to create a cloud over the same yellowish fern that his own student kept forgetting to water. "Camus was either very determined to prove that he can fight, or was that angry that Milo stuck his foot in his face. Either way, Camus proved that one can skip the miles of stair climbing and Temples by punting one's opponent over them." Now that he was no longer outside, he removed his helmet and mask revealing his tender aged face. "Mu, what about you?" He spoke as he held his hands out. He smiled as Mu jumped onto his lap. Shion turned to the Buddhist and patted his free knee and watched Shaka run forward and climb upon it. A man once told him, that the elderly do not like to walk in order to save their strength to hold as many grandchildren as they could. _

_Mu turned a little pink, believing that his teacher may have heard him talk outside. "I'm better now." He replied, with a confident smile. "Master, do you like my treasures?"_

"_Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" spoke Shion. He sighed, "I'm just afraid you aren't taking your duties too seriously. If something were to happen to me, how will I be able to further your knowledge when you spend all your time digging for the past without any regards to the future?"_

_Mu rolled his eyes as Shion was once again going through his talks of impending doom. "Master, you worry too much."_

_Shion narrowed his eyes, wishing his student was as carefree as he was. _

_Shaka turned his head as he heard a noise. "Are there birds in here? I thought I heard them chirping but I do not sense their presence." _

_Shion ignored Shaka, not wishing to disclose one of the terrible things about being over two hundred years old. Besides, Mu's attitude was getting worse. Scolding him all the time was not working, and it was time he tried something else. "Mu, I've been doing some thinking. It was a miracle that you were able to find a Crater-Case here in Greece. Perhaps if we go to where Mu was, perhaps we will see the place itself."_

_Mu gasped at his teacher's words. "Go back… to Mu?" He clasped his hands. "Oh Master, that sounds wonderful. How do you think we'll be able to do that?"_

_Shion placed his hand on his chin. "Our people were renowned for creating things that would last forever." _

"_The Cloths are proof of that!" Shaka added._

_Shion patted the future Virgo's head. "Indeed they are." His pale eyes twinkled a bit at the thought of it. "Finding the land itself would be difficult, since no one has ever attempted it, but it could be possible if we used past documents of our people." _

"_But, it would be so cool! Master, we must go immediately!" cried Mu._

_Shion waved his hands. "Not right now. I'm far too busy. But we will eventually." _

_Mu looked up. "When?"_

_Shion tilted his head. "Well, right now I'm still deciding upon my successor." He watched as his student was squeezing his tunic tightly in anticipation. He knew of many humans who would make promises they could not keep, and refused to be one of them. "When I have chosen a successor, I will declare them Pope, I will be free of all obligations."_

**PRESENT**

Shaka could almost see Mu's heart breaking in front of him as the Lemurian's knees seemingly began to buckle the longer he stared at the chair. Shaka walked over and placed his hands on Mu's shoulders. He gazed at his green eyes seeing gentle shine of a man trained to hold back tears and failing to do so. Shaka reached over for the straps on Mu's Pandora's Box, pulled them off and gently placed the heavy box down on the floor, easing the burden off the Lemurian's shoulders. Unrestricted by the weight, Shaka watched Mu's shoulders tremble. He walked over and placed his arms around him, gently stroking the top of his soft hair taming, the small quivers in his friend before wrapping them back around him.

Mu rested his forehead on top of Shaka's shoulder before turning it gently until his cheek pressed along the fine dip between his shoulder and neck. Shaka smelled nice having gone without a bath for so long. Why must humans hide their true scent? Shaka had a terrible habit of bathing in lavender and scented oils. The sweat that had collected into his shirt from sitting in the sun for several days was intoxicating. Shaka no longer smelled like a flower, but like a man.

He turned his head back to the chair feeling his sorrow sink in. "Master promised we would go home. Why did he have to die?" Mu mumbled as he allowed the weight of his head to sink deeper.

Shaka turned his head slightly, gazing at the Lemurian's face. He took his finger and delicately touched the fattening tear near his duct, causing its oval shape to bust and slide down his cheek and allowing it to fall. Holding back such sadness only begets more sadness. "Saga's dark side's actions were cruel and selfish. He saw an old man whose worth had passed centuries ago, and not as the rock that supported you." He turned to the boat. "But you still live, what is stopping you from going now especially during this moment of peace?"

Mu pulled away and sat on his Cloth box, leaning on his elbows and hunching his back. "To find Mu would require reading the ancient documents." He placed his hand on a large stack of papers. "I was so behind in the push for Shion to acquire the skills needed to repair Cloths for this Holy War that he died before teaching me the ancient writings as well as carving runes. Now that complex art is lost forever." His fists tightened, "the language of my people, far more efficient than any language before it and more beautiful in rhythm is now dead." He reached over and held two jars, one empty while the other full. "If Hades' invasion does hold true, I will most likely never live long enough to pass on even half of what I know about our culture if I can't find more things about it?" He placed the jars down.

Shaka knelt in front of him, holding the Lemurian's hands. "That's why it is important that you find it now, so that you can take Kiki to it. Remember when we found the Crater-Case and showed it to the others? Whether they like them or not, the single sight of such trinkets is far greater than a thousand lectures." Shaka squeezed them tighter. "You've always embraced the undiscovered. You combed the beaches for many months until you found that treasure. Do it again, and find Mu!"

Mu sighed. "Your encouragement is touching, but unlike our time as children, time is not on our side. Athena would never allow me to leave without some sort of direction. Sailing the seas would be a dream, but one that cannot be accomplished for the time being." Mu touched his head. "Shaka, leave me alone. I need time by myself and your radiation drink will wear off soon. Half of our friends are dead, let us not add another."

Shaka nodded, giving a gentle pat on the back before moving toward the door. He opened the heavy door and took one final glance of the sullen Lemurian slouching on his Pandora's Box like a drunk who took in as much as he could to forget everything. He doesn't blame him though; he can't fathom what it was like to be one of the last of one's race. Even through his endless meditation, the thought of Buddhism being lost to the world had never crossed his mind.

Mu would be forced to copulate with a female human just to keep his race alive; even then Lemurian blood would be halved with each generation. Maybe if Mu was lucky he wouldn't have to resort to such means. Shion had told him that the last female full Lemurian died a hundred years ago and yet Mu somehow existed after that. "Why am I even thinking about this?" Shaka muttered aloud. He was thinking of his own friend going around having sex, but worst of all was that the emotions stemmed from jealousy.

He blushed a bit before shaking his head of such thoughts. Right now, he should focus on what concerned Mu the most, finding a way to the continent of Mu without the documents. Tracking the continent with the cosmos would be nearly impossible if it was underwater. Poseidon made sure to that to ensure his palace remained undetected during the first Holy War and only through past knowledge of its location, as well as the good fortune of Kanon never thinking of moving it, where they able to send the Bronze Saints as quickly as they did. "There is one person," Shaka muttered as he quickly ran out of the House of Aries.

**To Be Continued**

**In the Final Part: Shaka and Mu go off on their strange journey.  
**


	3. Part Two

**PART TWO**

_**When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.**_

_**Author's Note: Yaoi with a bit of a lemon twist.**_

"Why are you so nervous?" asked Shaka as he watched the Lumerian walk from the steps of the Pope toward the hallway of Athena.

Mu felt his breath quicken and nervousness set in. "Old fears renewed at her doorstep, my friend." His actions toward Poseidon were rude, undiplomatic, and uncalled for during a mission of peace. Even the foot soldiers showed more discretion in their actions, and they were usually the unruly bunch. Now that they had returned back to Sanctuary, perhaps he will receive his punishment?

To his surprise, Athena, still in her business suit that she wore while on the plane, was standing there smiling with hands in front of her with Shaka at her side. Mu quickly knelt before her until she reached out a hand for him.

"Mu," she spoke his name as she helped him up. "Shaka had told me all about Shion's promise to take you to find your homeland. Is this true?"

Mu felt his heart warming up. Athena's voice was so gentle and full of love that it was impossible to think of terrible thoughts in her presence. Perhaps it was even the rare surprise that Shaka was known to pull once every nine-planet-alignment? "He did make a promise. But, I cannot read the documents that my Master had left behind, for I do not know enough of the old language to translate them. Finding a sunken island in the depths of the sea blindly would be like searching for a piece of paper among others after they had all been reduced to ash."

Athena looked down and cupped his cheek. "What if I told you, the island has possibly surfaced?"

The Lemurian gasped. "Surfaced? How do you know?"

"I'm a Goddess. I _see_ all," she spoke as she waved her hands in the air. Before she waved a hand for him to come inside, "even if it requires the internet to do so," she winked. She then turned her head and spotted Milo leaning forward at her desk, the image of a familiar website reflecting from his headpiece. She bit her lip and sighed. "Milo, are you working on anything important?" She asked.

Milo jerked his head and swallowed a bit, "oh, just something-downloading some information," he swallowed and tilted the laptop screen a bit further down to hide the image, "staying current on the world."

Saori gently nodded. "That's fine, finish what must be done, just as long as I do not receive any news from Tatsumi about media rumors claiming I have an insatiable appetite for The Pirate Bay."

"-Oh drat, I think I hit that one button that closes my browser," bemoaned Milo as he quickly began to silently close windows.

Mu leaned forward. "Perhaps your Browsing History contains the past data that you need."

Milo pressed another button, "Oh no, it appears I have just deleted all of that too." He nervously let out a sigh. "Oh well, feel free to do what must be done. I guess I'll just hang out outside and insure undesired company does not intrude." Milo waved his hand, readjusted his long cape and headed outside at a breakneck pace.

Shaka turned his head toward the computer. "I didn't think you would allow Saints to have such free access to luxuries, my Goddess."

Saori walked over to the front screen. "That has not changed; I prefer to think of it as a part of Milo's therapy."

"But, you told us that you gave him the duty of being your main bodyguard was to take his mind off of Camus?" spoke Shaka.

The goddess nodded. "That was the intention. For some of you, being around friends seemed to help put the past behind, for others, being alone is the right thing to do. But everyone deals with pain differently and it became more apparent that Milo wanted to be alone but at the same time, wanted to be around others but specifically someone that was like Camus." She touched the screen. "And so, the computer, more specifically, the internet is considered therapeutic since it allowed him a means to accomplish both and slowly seems to be returning to his old self, _even if some of his curious searches has led to a bit of publicity problems for the Kido Foundation and several billion dollars in copyright infringement suits_," she murmured the last part as she went to her email and opened one from the head of the Kido Institution's scientists.

Mu leaned down and began to read it. "These coordinates _do_ match the general area that Master said it would be," he spoke with cautious excitement.

Athena then pointed her finger to another paragraph. "But look at the different mineral traces that are listed here. Many of them are foreign to other areas around but most were synthetically created. It is worth a try, don't you think? Would you like to go?"

Mu felt like he couldn't bring his jaw back up. It was almost unreal. "May, I go by boat?" He shifted his eyes a bit feeling a bit selfish on such generosity on his part. "I know Holy War with Hades is coming, but it would mean a lot to me. Shion and I even made a special boat, the last project we worked together on before his death."

"Travel by sea if you wish, however-, "she paused.

Mu nodded. "I understand. I will leave it immediately and go by light speed. Personal desires are second to the safety of the Earth."

Athena giggled lightly. "Yes, that is important, although frankly I doubt Hades will attempt to strike with Poseidon's remaining forces all over the world and forcing him to fight two Gods. I was thinking that the boat that you and Shion created requires two people to steer it."

That did pose a problem. Kiki said he was still physically exhausted from going to Atlantis to give the Libra weapons to the Bronze Saints. However, Mu suspected that he was secretly addicted to some Japanese anime about a cross-dressed girl and doesn't want to leave the orphanage in Japan. Besides, with Holy War coming, he had begun to question whether the two last Lemurians should be on the same craft.

"May I come along?" Mu turned his head to him with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes. Shaka smiled lightly for a moment. "I am not Lemurian, but I would like to take Shion's place in honoring his promise."

Later on, Shaka, dressed in his robes, continued to rereading a list of how to control his side of the runes on the boat. It was powered by strong bursts of cosmos making it more efficient than using the wind to sail while the magic autocorrects the boat should the waves push it from its direction. It seemed simple but the trick was to empower the right rune with the same amount of cosmos to prevent an imbalance of cosmos with one side running out of cosmos while the other kept going. Personally, he would rather just teleport to the coordinates, but Mu wants to take the journey as his ancestors had. But there are just so many dangers like storms and capsizing. He sighed as he placed the manual on his lap. "Should I tell him that I can't swim?" he thought just as Mu appeared right behind him.

Shaka turned from his thoughts and instead smiled politely. "How was Japan?" He asked as he watched Mu jump into the water to double check the runes, watching his purple hair weave back and forth with the waves.

"It was nice. Kiki seemed to be enjoying being around children his age. He wanted to come too, but I told him after I check things out." Mu spoke as he climbed into the boat, wringing his hair to the side.

Shaka knew that would be the hardest part. "He'll understand when he's older." He spoke as he checked their food supply and looked at a set of Lemurian water cups.

Mu, passive of his drenched appearance, turned to the horizon. "Ready?"

Shaka took a deep breath. He'd never operated a television set, much less an enchanted boat. Fearful of messing up and causing the boat to spin nonsensically, but confident that he had reviewed the papers enough he gave a quick nod. He nervously went to his side of the boat, listening to the direction Mu wanted to go and how much cosmos to apply before touching his side at the same time. The boat lurched forward, a bit before the Loose Wood design of the Lemurian craft kicked in, causing the back to sway back and forth like a fish tail.

Once the runes were filled with cosmos, the two Saints pulled away and sat on the side edges of the boat. Mu leaned back; resting his forearms on the side edge, taking great pride that his crack at the boat's schematics were a success. He can't imagine how embarrassing it would be if the boat blew up, although with his skill level back then, he suspects that his Master probably tweaked a board here and there. He turned to see how Shaka was doing and to his surprise, not too well. "Are you alright?"

Many feared the moment he would open his eyes, and a good way to make him stay that way is to battle him in the sea. "Why is the boat rocking," he muttered as he clawed the edge.

Mu waved his hand. "What rocking? The boat adjusts both horizontally and vertically. The only rocking that occurs is whenever we move!" He said as he did a gentle bounce to demonstrate only for Shaka to shriek.

"Do Lemurian boats capsize?" he muttered as his face paled a bit.

Mu shifted his eyes. "No," he spouted, surprised to see his friend relax, even more in the fact that he actually managed to get away with lying with the man closest to God. Guilt crept in, as he began to realize that Shaka was taking the sea like a cat to a bathtub. "The boat works fairly well. I guess we can go ahead and turn around and teleport to the coordinates."

Shaka tried to stiffen his heavy breathing. "I haven't been to sea in a long time." He spoke. The last time he was, the boat was bigger and he was granted the great fortune of not having a window view as well as passing out for the majority of his voyage. "I can handle it," he blurted. The journey to the continent meant a lot to Mu and he will not be the one to stand in the way of such a dream. Besides, if he can handle death, he can handle water. He turned away from the pulsing of the boat's bottom and turned to the horizon where the endless sea seemed a bit more stable. He eased his grip on the sides, feeling his finger muscles ache from pressing them hard. He took a few more breaths. "This isn't so bad." He spoke as his feet rocked his body a bit.

Mu, admiring his bravery, moved over to Shaka's side and placed an arm around him. "It's actually quite pleasant. Master says the tail of the boat tends to attract fish. It will be quite a show."

Shaka, feeling the warmth of Mu's wet arm, relaxed a bit. He stared at the water behind them and spotted a large finned fish leap out for a moment. "This is nice." He admitted as more fish started to appear. Mu did say that the boat had no chance of flipping, what is there to worry about.

Mu pointed behind. "Master said that when the continent of Mu sunk, the brave Merlion, half fish, half lion creatures received a vision from Athena and led many survivors here to Greece. The Chief Merlion even allowed a Lemurian to saddle it's back, a great honor only given to the finest of Lemurian!" he spoke as he waved his hands.

"What happened to the Merlion?" asked Shaka as he began to recoup from the fear that he experienced earlier.

Mu shook his head. "The Chief Merlion learned that there was an attack on his pack around South East Asia. He told the Lemurian that rode him that although he sides with Athena, he must protect his people. He gathered all of his Merlionesses and swam to present day Singapore where these brave heraldic sea-lions fought bravely, but were sadly defeated. The Chief Merlion, gravely wounded, swam to his wife and perished by her fallen body. Now, Singapore gives them the greatest honor any creature can be bestowed, forever immortalized as statues and T-Shirts in tourist shops." Mu touched his heart with a single tear in his eye at the beautiful tribute, "bless them."

Shaka gave an honest smile. Unlike many of his friends, the tale that Mu told was actually one of the more normal ones he's heard. It was wonderful to hear his friend regain his proud quirky nature so quickly from starting the trip. "What other stories has Shion told you about the Merlion?"

Mu nodded. "Well, the people from Singapore believe the original name Singapora is Malay Palembang for "lion city". Unfortunately, Master says this is terrible mistake. Singapora was a legendary battle cry from the Chief Merlion meaning 'Eat them!' in Merlionese." Mu let out a laugh. "Master loves telling this to the Singapore trainees. They all think he's lying, not realizing how dead serious he was." Mu looked over the side and could see the runes losing their glow. "Time to recharge the Runes."

Shaka, feeling the infectious lighthearted Lemurian spirit, gave a quick salute and charged his rune at Mu's command.

The boat moved at great speeds, causing strange stares and gasps from viewers, especially when they accidently crossed paths with a yacht race and passed several millionaires with ease. The two took it in humble stride.

Shaka himself reached a point where he casually dipped his Lemurian cup into the sea water. He pulled the strainer inside, instantly filtering the water and purifying it so much that it contained absolutely zero impurities and was perfectly drinkable. He took a large sip when he noticed a dolphin swimming beside the boat. For a moment, the Indian leaned on the side watching the graceful creature next to them. "Mu, there's a dolphin over here. Come see!" he said as he waved him over.

Mu's eyes widened, "a dolphin?" He gasped as the creature suddenly rose up laughing. "Shaka, be careful he is Poseidon sympathizer!"

The dolphin cackled, crying for revenge in his dolphin squeaks for the death of Mermaid Thetis, who had promised him much tuna after conquering the world. He used his nose to strike a Rune, causing the boat to spin and flip the two out Saints out. The dolphin spied the bag of sandwiches floating and snatched it evilly, before swimming away, pleased to have carried out his terroristic attack.

Mu quickly swam to the surface, coughing a bit from some water he swallowed. "Damn you!" he shouted with a shaking fist. The Lemurian looked around as dreadful silence surrounded him. "Shaka?" He looked down as he could see the Indian frantically trying to get back to the surface, only to further sink underwater. Mu quickly sucked a large breath before he dove back down. His feet kick as fast they could until he caught up. His eyes widened as Shaka looked like he couldn't hold his breath anymore. He quickly pressed his lips against his, sending precious oxygen to him. He attempted to pull Shaka back up, but his robes were only tangling the two up. Mu grabbed the front of Shaka's cloths and tore them off, discarding the scraps to the seas while pulling him up.

The two broke the surface, gasping for the precious air. Shaka coughed violently, wheezing as he clutched to the side of the boat, his hair strands matting his face. "I never thought to check the karma of that dolphin. The weight of its sins were truly great, I never felt anything like it, except in Ikki."

"The dolphins were used as Poseidon's spies during the first Holy War. They used their tricks to amuse us, without us realizing they were gathering enemy intelligence of the layout of our island, even going to great lengths to falsify the neutrality we had with both Athena and Poseidon. We despise dolphins. The fact that it had created the great insult of stealing sandwiches furthers my hatred of them." Mu narrowed his eyebrows. Humans praised their intelligence not realizing that the dolphins had been long in collaboration with the God of the Sea to quicken the complete annihilation of the human race. Mu watched as Shaka clutched the boat desperately.

Putting his bitterness aside, Mu swam to the other side and helped return the boat back to its normal position, helping the exhausted Buddhist inside it's now soaked bottom. He patted Shaka's back as he coughed violently from taking so much water. Mu touched the boat and lowered his head. "Shaka, let's go back. We still have our cups but we don't have any food and I don't want to get you hurt because of my childish dreams."

Shaka shook his head as he weakly pulled himself up halfway. He placed a hand on Mu's and looked up. "Your people never gave up in their journey to reach Athena. We won't either. To suffer is to live, we have to keep going. Unless you wish-" He smiled, "-to allow the dolphin terrorists to win?" Shaka chuckled a bit, his reasoning now forever infected by his journey with the Lemurian.

Mu shook his head nobly. "No. I feel shame knowing that the dolphin is probably using our peanut butter infused sandwiches as trophies for its accomplishment. You are right; to turn back now would be foolish." He smiled back. "Thank you. Your words are always kind and greatly appreciated."

Shaka weakly looked at the top of the boat. "Should we restart the runes?"

"Not yet. That cursed dolphin has offset them." Mu leaned over to where the dolphin struck and touched all of them at once. "There, it will take an hour to get them calibrated back. Besides, you should rest a bit. You must be tired."

Shaka closed his eyes. "Not tired, but a little chilly." The night sea air had already felt cool, but now that he and his white pants were soaking wet, it felt like the first night he left Indian and experienced his first winter Athenian night.

Mu felt the same way, as he rubbed his wet arms. He reached for his tunic and sash and pulled them off, hanging them on the side of the boat.

Shaka laid there as he felt a warm strong chest behind him and a set of arms wrap around him. Shaka's hands reached over and grabbed Mu's as he felt the Lemurian's breath tickle the back of his neck.

"Are you still cold?" Mu asked as his arms rubbed the front of Shaka's skin, massaging the front with his hands and nuzzling his back.

Shaka felt a smile slip a bit. He closed his mind as nervousness seized his tongue. He then felt a slight bump behind him, causing his cheeks to warm up enough. "My pants are freezing," he spoke, summoning his courage to brave the response.

Mu raised his head, his lips brushing against the back of Shaka's neck. "Yes, that is a problem. Logically, we should take them off and hang them to dry." Mu spoke as pulled back a bit.

Shaka laid there with his back still turned, listening to the wet cloth streaking against Mu's skin before finally being slapped on the side.

"Oh that's much better." Mu spoke as he brushed the water from his skin. "Come on, the longer the colder."

Shaka touched his heart as it began to beat faster. "I-" Undressing in front of each other was quite common in their Greek lifestyles, but they were always in the large bath houses, not a tiny boat. "-I can try." He reached down and began to pull them down, the water that had soaked and stuck to his skin made the simple task much more difficult as he barely got his trousers halfway down, with part of his foreskin revealing itself in the moonlight.

"Do you need help, Shaka?"

The Buddhist held the seams of his pants. He looked down feeling a sense of drunkenness that no liquor could replicate. "Yes," he muttered as Mu came over to him and moved him on his back.

Mu looked down. "Oh yes, these do look tight."

Shaka gazed as Mu suddenly brought his face close to crotch before reaching down inside his pants.

Mu wiggled his hand a bit before pulling out Shaka's member out the rest of the way. "There we go, don't want that to get rubbed the wrong way. I did that once the last time I went diving and spent the rest of the week with my voice at an octave higher than normal. I was mortified for life. The seagulls haven't stopped making fun of me ever since."

Shaka looked down as he watched blood flow into it, causing it to stand up. "Mu…" he muttered.

The Lemurian gave a thumb up. "Yes, that's it! Keep it up; it will make it easier to remove your pants without worrying about rubbing it wrong. He looked down and patted below. "Can you tighten your scrotum? I'd hate to rub the garter against them too."

"Uh I…" Shaka muttered.

"It's very easy, just like this!" Mu placed his foot on the rim of the boat, and with a snap sucked his nuts tightly while providing a glorious third leg salute.

Shaka felt a bit giddy, "I um… got it."

Mu leaned back down to the rim of his pants and slid them off with ease. "Ah wonderful, I think you had some trouble when your this right here got bunched up," he spoke as grabbed Shaka's crotch and wiggled it like a handful of fruit.

"I guess," he spoke as Mu went behind him and lay next to him, continuing to stroke his body his body, warming it up. He could feel the full warmth of the Lemurian now, from head to head to two. He could almost fall asleep like this, but desire had begun to pump furiously in his blood. Was Mu flirting with him, or was he acting according to his strange Lemurian nature. Did he wanted to touch him, to feel his desire, or was Mu truly concerned of getting rubbed wrong by his pants? Shaka had learned to study and understand human nature, but Lemurians were a people that surprised him every time he encountered one. They were unpredictable, and fascinating. Shaka stroked Mu's arm. There was only one way to know. He turned around and gave the only thing that he knew both cultures shared in common. He touched Mu's cheek and pressed his lips against his before pulling back.

Mu tilted his head. "Oh," he muttered. "You don't need to give back the oxygen that I granted you underwater. We have plenty of it."

Shaka sighed. "Oh," he muttered a bit disappointed. Suddenly he felt Mu's hand reach out for his chin.

Mu gave a wink, "_just_ _kidding_."

The Buddhist smiled, as Mu came down upon him.

Outside the boat the evil dolphin laughed manically as it raised its body in the air. It squealed in its language of how surprised it was that they lived, before threatening to finish the job. It swam close to the boat preparing to strike the rune again.

Mu's hand reached out and bopped the top of its head with the Lemurian cup, knocking it out before going back to what he was doing.

The next day, the two Saints sat in the boat, holding each other as the wooden fishtail continued to maneuver on course for their destination.

Shaka, dressed only in his pants now, felt sweat on his face as they had reached the more tropical region of the world last night. "It won't be long till we reach there. Are you excited?"

Mu, dressed only in his pants as well, nodded. "Of course, but, I'm also a little nervous."

Shaka turned his head. "What do you mean? You're almost to land of your ancestors! This is what you want! This is what Shion promised you!"

"I know, but it's just that, when-"Mu swallowed hard. "I've always believed my people would never create anything major that wouldn't last forever. When I was a child, I had dreams that my beloved Mu would be underwater and intact like Atlantis is. But when I met Poseidon, he said that he destroyed _everything_," Mu muttered, feeling his voice crack at the last part.

_Their grand belief is to create things that would last forever including their cities and homes. Yet neither skill was useful when it came to me._

"Poseidon hated you and your people. He did it to hurt you mentally and delight in your suffering," Shaka assured him, holding his hand yet in his heart, a little doubt crept in. If there was something, wouldn't it have attracted much attention by the news and the internet? He prayed that he would be wrong.

Mu pulled away and came to the front of the boat. He sat up, holding the rails as a formation began to take shape in the horizon. But the sun had risen in their direction just above the sea and in their line of sight. Its bright light blinded them, causing the two Saints to take their arms to shelter their eyes. Shaka kept trying to see the lost continent only to keep turning back. Shadowed tall peaks from side to side, the preferred design of Lemurian architecture filled his heart with hope. Mu's hand gripped Shaka's tightly as the boat swam closer and closer.

The boat stopped with a harsh bump, indicating that they had reached their destination. Mu felt his breath quicken as he felt the cool shade of shadow strike his body. He turned his head. The great peaks were nothing but piles of old molten rock. Mu got out of the boat and looked around spotting nothing but weathered stone.

Shaka could feel the sadness weighing on Mu's soul once more. "Perhaps it is the wrong island?" he spoke, trying to lift his friend's spirits up.

Mu looked down more careful at the formations. He knelt down and began to trace the outline of a large circle. He then broke a piece of it and examined the insides. "Iridium, stardust fused corbadinium β, the combination to create a proper foundation of a wealthy Lemurian home." He lowered his head as he placed it back. He walked over to a set of rocks and touched the side, running his fingers from top to bottom, stopping at a point where the rock was heavily worn down. "There was no wind or rain, the water just- _rose_. Many thought it was a stronger than normal high tide but it just kept- _rising_, never realizing that a whirlpool was forming. By the time it reached their knees, the current suddenly strengthened into those equal to whirlpool, and the indestructible architecture was reduced to nothing," he whispered the words spoken to him during his earlier trip to Poseidon.

Shaka watched Mu, fall to his knees and lower his head into his hands. The Buddhist came to his side and held his shoulders. "Mu?" he whispered as he gazed at the paleness of a face that was full of life and hope ten minutes before.

But Mu pulled his hands closer to his face. "I didn't want to believe him. But he did it. He really did it. I can even see the power of the storm he used to rip everything from its bases." The lines of where the storm struck were eerie similar to the water lines back in that flooded city. "Our great continent is no different than the deserted archipelago islands formed by magma." Mu took his fist and smashed it into the rock without cosmos, causing blood to drip freely from it. He pulled it back, comforted by the aching pain in his knuckles as tears ran down his face.

Shaka stood up. "Mu, we are here! We've found the continent." He took his hand and opened it, filling it with cosmos.

Mu watched as a bright light flashed and all before him tall colorful painted buildings, infused with light with elaborate metal statues of various animals were lined along the edges of streets. Circular Temples, much like the one he had in Tibet were at each compass direction. It was almost like he was in a dream. He walked over and touched the sides, feeling the bricks that were filled with pores that kept the perfect temperature and enhanced the durability of the building. "Buddha's Palm?" he whispered.

Shaka watched his friend move through slowly, examining the details. "Yes."

Mu smiled a bit. "You are very kind, my friend. Unfortunately," he punched through, his fist phasing through the brick. "It is only an image."

Shaka nodded. "I know, and if I intended to trick you, I would have been more discreet about it. I forged this mirage not just from the stories in your mind that you had from Shion, but from the love of your people's culture, the love that remained since we were children, when you chose to openly express your different lifestyle openly and not hide it, like I almost did with my own. Mu, the hardest part is over. You found Mu. Will you sit there and allow your sadness to swallow you up, just as Poseidon would want it, or will you rebuild?"

Mu nodded. "You're right." He spoke as he placed his hands on his hips. "Ever since Master Shion died, I just feel like that there is nothing's left. When Athena spoke that the continent of Mu returned, I thought that if me, Kiki were to perish, and at least there would be this place. Thank you, for staying by my side. I don't know how I would react if I were by myself or what a terrible role model I would be for Kiki." He looked down. "The sea turtles with sea turtle shoes were a cute touch."

Shaka tilted his head. "Sea turtle? I didn't create any sea turtles." He closed his palm, ending the image of the continent of Mu, yet leaving the turtles behind. Shaka knelt over and touched the creatures as they darted their heads back and forth.

Mu gasped as he rushed over them, "Lemurian Sea Turtles." He muttered in delight, gazing at the carved runes in their backs. "We put those there to grant the turtles a boost in their life span and the ability to communicate with them. They must be thousands of years old.

Shaka gazed at them, stunned by how large they were. If they stood up, they were at least as tall as he was. "But what are they doing here?"

Mu reached over and touched the rune, using his cosmos to speak to it and hear its thoughts. "He says that they saw the city from the water and were confused. Their teenage daughters went ahead of them to check it out, displeasing them. They came up to ground them for crawling on the surface in the daytime when they saw us."

"But why would they be confused?" asked Shaka.

Mu touched the rune again, communicating the question back to the creature. "He says, it is because the buildings he saw up here, are the same as… _the ones down there in the ocean_." He paused at the revelation as he questioned it some more. "He says he watched the whirlpool break off the buildings at the base as well as many of the other things and they simply were swept away and sank. He says that they buildings are a nuisance since coral is unable to attach to them and asked when we could get them out and put them back here."

Shaka watched as Mu seemingly spoke to them one last time before the sea turtles began to turn around and head back to the ocean, while the smaller females, seemed a bit more hesitant to follow after. "Mu, this is wonderful. You were right after all. Poseidon couldn't destroy them. All you have to do is get them back up here and you can rebuild the continent again."

But Mu shook his head. "No, I'm not going to rebuild it."

**JAPAN**

Kiki sat attentively at the lone television screen. Everyone was outside playing with the new ball and soccer nets.

_It has a good odor, and it's really not that bad._

_Let me see._

Kiki gasped as his heart quickened a bit. His eyes shifted a bit as he turned the volume a bit higher while crawling closer to the screen.

_Hmmm Haruhi, You have some cookie crumbs on your face._

His eyes widened as the boy licked the cross-dressing girl's face before his finger began to reach toward the rewind button.

"Kiki!" cried Miho.

"Eek!" the Lemurian apprentice squeaked as he quickly took out the DVD and turned to a random TV show just as the perky Japanese girl opened the door and immediately knelt behind him. "Hey cutie, guess who has a visitor?" She said as she grabbed his ears and gave a gentle wiggle before she directed his head to the door. "Master Mu!" he cried as he carefully tossed a blanket on the DVD cover. "What are you doing here?"

Mu, dressed down in his casual tunic and sash, smiled. "Well, I'll be going somewhere far away and I wanted you to give you something." He said as he held the jar that he got from his workshop.

Kiki's eyes widened. "Wow, my own apprentice!" He said as he gazed at it, looking at the multicolored layers inside.

Mu reached over and patted his head. "That's right. Master Shion crafted it from Sugar, Spice, and everything nice, as well as fusion enhanced iridium layer protecting an ancient fertilized egg."

Kiki turned to the directions. "How to create Raki. Step One: First add two cups of water and leave in indirect sunlight for three days to allow for proper germination. Once form takes shape, place Raki next to a pigeon to allow for all the basic functions to be imitated before you begin training them yourself. **Warning:** Do not place apprentice near a cat for the first week to prevent laziness, bossiness and incessant meowing for food in the morning." Kiki looked up. "Thank you Master." He looked down. "But I thought you said I can't grow an apprentice until I get my Cloth?" A disturbed expression filled his face. "You're not going Holy War already, are you?"

Mu shook his head, "no, otherwise I would not be properly dressed for such a thing. Actually, I thought I would give it to you in case something," he paused, realizing that telling him that there was a good chance he would die in a war with Hades was harder than he thought, "in case something happens."

Kiki rolled his eyes. "Is that all? You worry too much."

Mu sighed. Kiki felt just as carefree as he was when he was younger. He wondered if this was the same frustration that his Master experienced with him long ago. "Maybe, but you never know. Can you promise me that you won't open that jar until you earn a Cloth."

Kiki looked down, his fingers drumming on the lid. Having a servant would be fun, but his Master wouldn't like it. "Okay, I promise. But you still have to bring me over."

Mu nodded. "Of course I will." To spend all his time now pulling the buildings from the ocean to the surface would only serve to bring back the continent of Mu in the short term, but what would happen if he were to die in a battle with Hades?

Regardless, all these years, he had thought that his Master didn't care about restoring the lost continent, but the truth was, he did. Mu was just too young and stubborn to realize that the acts of passing on techniques and the responsibilities of rebuilding to the next generation would be far more effective than wasting time _treasure hunting_.

**The End**

**Author's Notes: The original challenge for this gift fic was that it was a Shaka/Mu romance with the recipient favoring either a fluff or lots of angst with a happy ending. I decided to try and combine them both and was pretty happy with the results. We were given three months for the challenge and while that may seem like a lot of time, I was making the big move from an apartment to a house (while renovating it with painting, tiling) and was in my first trimester of my pregnancy (aka the morning sickness stage).**

**I was really nervous on how the recipient would react to my interpretation of Mu as more of a non-human and Shaka's crack-headed defeat at the hands of a terrorist dolphin but I was happy that they enjoyed it. **


End file.
